Join publisher Brandon Johnson for a talk and visual presentation followed by a Q&A centered around his new book Thee Almighty & Insane: Chicago Gang Business Cards from the 1960s & 1970s.

Back due to popular demand, with the same format but all new content including a selection of older and rarer Chicago gang compliment cards from the North and West Sides made during the 1960s & (mostly) 1970s. This book documents a collection of historical ephemera from a period of time in which city-orchestrated displacement, the loss of industry, and racial antagonism created socioeconomic conditions that led to the formation and expansion of gangs in the streets, parks, and schools of Chicago. Once again, 70+ enlarged reproductions of original compliment cards listing members, territories, slogans, and declarations of loyalty/animosity, are brought to the forefront for examination and interpretation.

Brandon Johnson is a New York-based writer, editor, and historian. He is author of Far From the Madding Crowd: Perspectives on the Life and Work of Dan Asher and Thee Almighty & Insane: Chicago Gang Business Cards from the 1970s & 1980s. Originally from Chicagoland, Brandon is founder/publisher of Almighty & Insane Books.

Almighty & Insane Books is a platform to examine/preserve history and culture from the city of Chicago through the medium of printed publications.

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